The Iron Lady
Aging=Beauty
The Iron Lady Amsterdam is a floating loft, a place to reflect, an art gallery and a work of art in itself. It’s an outward expression of a philosophy of life that sees beauty in aging, where presence and absence are in constant dialogue with each other and where materials and memories are recycled.
Just outside of Amsterdam on the river IJ lies The Iron Lady, the houseboat of Birgitta De Vos and her husband. It is a sunny day and the start of a hot summer is announced by dry and sultry air. The Iron Lady is located in a relatively new neighbourhood, as several are now being built around Amsterdam to meet the influx of new residents. The few people on the street are moving in the shadow of the new construction projects, avoiding the heat.
The Iron Lady is an old dry bulk carrier and saw the light of day in Antwerp in 1962. The boat served as a cargo ship for coal and grit before being converted into a houseboat. In 2015 Birgitta and her husband found this ship and with the help of a specialized Amsterdam company they transformed the boat in two years’ time to its current form: a floating loft, a private gallery and a work of art in itself.
Read the full story in issue No.10
